The present owners of Wilton Castle, Alan and Sue Parslow have been given a substantial grant by English Heritage towards the huge cost of repairs of this historic monument.

Currently in a dangerous state, repair work has begun on the North West Tower and West Curtain Wall of the castle. The work is due to be completed in the summer and follows work completed last autumn to repair the South West Gatehouse.

Wilton Castle was reputed to have been built by King Stephen in 1141, but it is more probable that it was built by Hugo de Longchamp who received the manor of Wilton from Henry I.

In 1200 the castle went in a dowry to the de Grey family. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, it passed to the Hon Charles Bridges. In 1645 the building was owned by Sir John Bridges, who died of smallpox in 1651 and is buried at Peterstow. In about 1722, it passed to Thomas Guy, founder of Guy's Hospital.

The castle was remodelled in the 15th century, becoming a mansion rather than a military castle and during the 19th century, neo-Gothic ramparts were added and a Victorian farmhouse was built on the ruin.

On Monday, 28th February, Herefordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) joined trusts across the country to support NHS Think Clean Day. The aim of the day was to raise the profile of cleaning in NHS hospitals and clinics. In particular, nursing and cleaning staff were brought together to make changes to improve cleaning or tidiness and develop action plans to deal with long term issues.

Prior to the day, Trish Jay, Director of Clinical Development and Lead Executive Nurse for PCT said,
'We know from our patients that when they are ill in hospital they want clean, comfortable and welcoming surroundings to aid their recovery and this is what we strive for in our PCT units. Cleanliness is a key aspect of this.

One of the key messages for Think Clean Day is that cleanliness on NHS premises is everybody's responsibility - nursing staff, cleaners, managers and visitors. A team approach to cleaning and infection control is essential and we hope that Think Clean Day will reinforce this.

The assessments we had of the cleanliness of our community hospitals and Stonebow Unit, carried out by external experts, have been good, but we know there is always room to improve and that is what we want to do.'

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